Allie Jones

According to a report from the U.N., ISIS — the Sunni militant group taking control of Iraq and Syria — has ordered women and girls in Mosul to undergo genital mutilation. This fatwa potentially affects 4 million women and girls.

Jacqueline Badcock, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, noted today, "This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed." She continued, "This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists." At least in recent years, the practice of female genital mutilation has been more of a problem in Kirkuk among Kurds.

In June, the Muslim Council of Britain condemned FGM as "un-Islamic. ... There is no reference to it in the holy Qur'an that states girls must be circumcised."